Best target design for shooting groups?

[Canuck Bob]

I am setting out on grouping my 223 bolt. I have no real experience with scopes. What target design gives you the best group with a "standard" hunting scope at 100 yards? For me it is a Leupold 4X Duplex reticle but I don't ever see anymore than 6X and standard reticles.

I have a bunch of printer paper recycling and hope to print my own once I get a design worked out. I see everything from circles, squares, crosses, and others?

[jnyork]

The smaller the better, I just use a 1" square black sticker on plain white paper.

All the fancy designs, grid marks, etc that you see on commercial targets are kinda like the fancy fishing lures designed to catch fishermen, pretty but not of much practical use.

[Chuck 100 yd]

First decide how much your cross hair covers up at 100 yd.. If it covers 1 1/2" at 100 yd. a 1" square wont even be seen. I like to shoot at a round bullseye with hunting scopes. I can center it up as well as any other.

[M. M. Wright]

I too have several scopes with 4X and duplex reticals. When sighting in I use a 2" square. I can see a little of each corner out past the hairs. I get repeatable results with this target.

[66GTO]

I prefer a diamond shape (4 pts). Line up the crosshairs on the vertical and horizontal points and you have dead center.
Something like this:

http://media.midwayusa.com/productimage ... 231404.jpg

[Blaine]

Being a cheapskate, I use a paper plate with a quarter-sized bright red hand drawn circle. Or, at the office stores they sell those stick on circles for file ID....If you buy them from a gun store they will make a mint off you....

[TedH]

I made my scope targets using a 2" black square in the middle of a grid with 1" spacing. Makes is real easy to center up the crosshairs with most scopes, and the grid makes it easy to measure group size. I don't have it on this computer at work, but I can email you a copy of it to print off if you like. It also has room and lines at the bottom for relevent load data for your records.

[vancelw]

I prefer a diamond shape (4 pts). Line up the crosshairs on the vertical and horizontal points and you have dead center.
Something like this:

http://media.midwayusa.com/productimage ... 231404.jpg

I use targets similar to these. Buy them in bulk at the gun show.

They are great for sighting in scope. In addition to being able to line up the crosshairs, you can tell at a glance how far off of Point of Aim you are,as those are 1" squares. I sight my scoped guns in for MPBR and they usually need to be 2 to 4 inches high at 100 meters, depending on the caliber and vital zone size I calculate for.

[.45colt]

Some pretty cool stuff here..... ten pages that cover most of what we need......http://www.targetz.com/targets01.htm

[Pisgah]

With scopes, I prefer one similar to what 66GTO posted; for iron sights, I prefer a plain black square. But a lot depends on what your eye likes, and that might not be the same as mine.

[AJMD429]

Here's what I print up at work on our photocopier (cheaper than an ink-jet that I print the 'original' on), and keep on hand.
I just used the 'table' setting on my word processor (shareware/free Open Office clone of MS-Word), and set the square size to one inch. The 'fill' setting allows different shades of grey to fill in the center squares; I like them grey but not black, so I can see the bullseye clearly with open sights, but can also see bullet holes with a scope.



The dots on the left are guides for three-hole notebook punching.

The back side has 'Range Rules' so everyone knows the deal...

[Griff]

I like the one 66GTO posted. I have one I downloaded from the Remington site that's similar, but yellow diamonds. It's a bit harder to see in low light, but great in direct sunlight.

Some pretty cool stuff here..... ten pages that cover most of what we need......http://www.targetz.com/targets01.htm

Good site with lots to choose from.

[Canuck Bob]

Thanks guys, I found a bunch of printable free target sites so no need for yours Ted, thanks. By the way nice shooting, very pretty cloverleafs. That is minute of deer all the way to the other side of the pasture!

I'll print a couple of comparable designs and do some testing. I never considered that the crosshairs might be too wide for some scopes. It turns out my two scopes have ordinary Leupold Duplex reticles.

I also like the greytone to help spot the bullet strikes.

[Old Savage]

Smsllest group I ever shot was shooting st a 6" black bull.

[yooper2]

I just use a 2" orange dot on printer paper or a paper plate. Works fine with my scope and I can see it with receiver sights or irons.


Eric

[Canuck Bob]

Smsllest group I ever shot was shooting st a 6" black bull.

How tough was the steak!!

[Canuck Bob]

One other style that shows up on the free target sites s the framing of the crosshairs with L and reversed L lines that capture the crosshairs.

[horsesoldier03]

I like the 2" square and I use a 6 o clock hold. I put the cross hairs on the bottom of the square but adjust where point of impact is centered in square.

[mod71alaska]

Thanks guys, I found a bunch of printable free target sites....

Please post links to the best of the printable free target sites you found.

[cshold]

Thanks guys, I found a bunch of printable free target sites....

Please post links to the best of the printable free target sites you found.

The only free target sight I ever need to use.
http://mytargets.com/

[mod71alaska]

Thanks, Mike.

Good Shooting!

[Canuck Bob]

Some links
http://www.carolinashootersclub.com/thr ... ne-Targets -a whole bunch of links
http://www.dewclawarchery.com/printable ... -a/136.htm - a full size deer target
http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html - a whole bunch of serious targets for competitors

[flatnose]

The target that 66gto shows is quite good. The only problem I had with them was trying to line up four points on the cross hairs and spending too much time doing so, thus messing up my breathing pattern.
Now I just put a row of staples on plain paper and aim at them. Accuracy was a fair bit better, and I only concentrate on the center of the cross hairs.
P.S. here is a good tip. When you find a target style you like, you can get it custom made on a rubber stamp, and use an inkpad.

[Griff]

Just tore this out of the current issue of "recoil".


May not be the 'best' target to sight in on, or shoot for groups... but looks like it'll be fun... about 17"x22", so it should be good for either 100 or 200 with a good scope.

[Rusty]

When shooting for the smallest groups I like a standard bullseye target and use a 6 o'clock hold. The scope is then adjusted so your point of to impact is in the X ring. when shooting for groups if your point of aim and point of impact are the same you will shoot away your point of aim before the group is done, then what?

[flatnose]

Try the benchrest style target with the square above the target. http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html
There are two printable sizes. The small is 1'' square for 100yds, and 2'' for 200yds. Try them both at 100yds. If you are shooting 3 or 4 shot groups you can hold directly on the bull. If you are shooting 5 or 10 shot groups, you can aim at the square, and adjust your point of impact to the bull, that way you will not obliterate your aiming point
You can set your horizontal cross hair on the upper line of the box, and the verticle line running through th bull below. Staying on the horizontal line and moving left or right allows for easier windage adjustment. This target is very versatile, and can be used in many ways.

[Sixgun]

For open sights I like a solid black square on white paper.....4" sq. @100 and 8" sq. at 200.

For scopes I like a 4" black sq. with 2" clear circle in the middle of it.-----6